


caseus et laminam salvet nos

by AsFarAsICouldSee



Series: Minor Characters Are The Best Kind Of Characters. [1]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Betrayal, Cheese Plates, F/F, I Don't Even Know, I'm Sorry To All Readers, International Fanworks Day, International Fanworks Day 2019, Like, M/M, Multi, Plot Relevant Cheese Plates, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Real Love Story Is Between Me And The Overuse Of Commas, really really divergent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-17 07:38:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17556113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsFarAsICouldSee/pseuds/AsFarAsICouldSee
Summary: Exactly what it says on the tin.Janie raises an eyebrow. “Does that mean… minors can get lightly intoxicated within healthy guidelines providing they have a good fake id and you’re not here?”“Hypothetically if they knew how to have one cocktail responsibly and weren’t a lightweight.” he says finally.“Hypothetical Janie only drinks virgin mary’s and ginger beer”, Real Janie says.





	caseus et laminam salvet nos

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheMadCatQueen69](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMadCatQueen69/gifts), [Dhillarearen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dhillarearen/gifts).



> INTERNATIONAL FANWORKS DAY is about community to me. Community, feedback, and support most of which I have been lucky enough to find on both AO3 and tumblr. TheMadCatQueen69 is one of the best commenters on fics that I've ever seen, and it makes me happy to know that someone else is out there letting people know how much they liked their work. Kudos to you! And Dhilhareen is one of the most encouraging and supportive people on tumblr that I've ever seen. Sometimes I can't believe that there are people out there actively being nice about just everything.
> 
> Anyway, time zones are weird, so it's valentines day right now. Happy Valentines Day to all of you out there, and I hope you all drink enough non toxic fluids and have the calm unstressful day you deserve.

It's the bi-annual gala when he sees Jeremy again. A pained look crosses Laila's face and Alvarez looks like she's biting back complete fury. Laila looks away from where Jeremy is standing, laughing at something that has been said. She threads her arm into Alvarez's.

"Come on, babe. I heard there are unlimited cocktails at the bar until eleven." She smiles and Alvarez throws her a fond look, the incandescence and fury melting off her features as it smooths out into what he can only describe as utter sappiness. Jean looks away.

Across the room, Jeremy has finished making nice and moving through the crowd again, just another figure in the clusters of black and red. They smile and nod and say placating things, and Jean only knows this because someone has to scope out the competition and Laila and Alvarez are drinking cocktails. He thinks he might need one too at this rate. He watches Jeremy and all of a sudden Jeremy looks at him. He wants to look elsewhere, to shrug it off as if he wasn't blatantly studying their every move but there's something in Jeremy's eyes that he can't look away from.

"Jean!"

If Jean hadn't known otherwise he would've thought that Jeremy sounded relieved. He waits for them to reach him.

"Captain Knox," he greets evenly because one of them needs to have some propriety.

"You look well," they remark almost fondly.

"So do you," he replies stiffly. Jeremy's eyes are sad, but they have no reason to be.

They look back and a slight figure in the same uniform as them hurries forward as if beckoned. "Janet. She's my… protege."

"I know who she is," Jean bites tersely.

"Hi Moreau," the uniformed figure that somehow manages to look exactly and nothing like Janie, whispers apologetically.

"Your left arm is clearly still in need of recovery."

Janie shrinks under his light scrutiny. "You know each other?" Jeremy asks looking- there's something in his eyes and Jean doesn't know what it is.

"We're acquainted," he says and he almost cringes at the curt way it comes out like everything he's said so far.

But what else does he say? I missed you, how could you, I trusted you, you- you- he flicks a gaze back to look for Laila before remembering that she was abusing the free cocktails until eleven rule. Focus. He needs to focus.

He hasn't spoken to Jeremy in months and when they suddenly decide to again it's to make the rounds and introduce their protege to people of note. He supposes in a way he should feel flattered that Jeremy thinks enough of him to do this. They're probably going to do the same meet and greet with half the room, a vicious voice snaps.

Some of that must show on his face because Jeremy reaches out and grabs his wrist and all of a sudden their much closer.

"If," they say, "If you ever felt even a sliver of affection towards me, take her. I've figured out all the details. All you need to do is nod".

And then they nod stiffly as if to demonstrate. Their eyes have a desperate edge to them, and Jean wants to almost reach out and- and- the thought is ridiculous so he ends it there.

"Please," Jeremy Knox, vice-captain of the Ravens, who hasn't spoken to him in a year says.

 

"Please."

 

They are still holding onto his wrist.

He takes her because it's Jeremy Knox and any pretence of non-attachment cuts itself up into shreds before burning into ashes when they look at him. It's for Janie, he thinks. If this were anyone else and Jeremy Knox showed up and talked solely to dump a 'protege' onto him he would've refused.

* * *

 

"Thanks," Janie says after Jeremy all but thrusts her towards Jean and dissipates back into the crowd. her voice is whispery and quiet but Jean hears it anyway.

"You're welcome, Lake". 

Janie shakes her head. "It's 'Smalls' now. My parents finally got divorced". He tries to gauge Janie's politely neutral tone and fails as always.

"Is this… a celebratory thing?" Janie finally smiles.

"I heard there's an unlimited cocktail bar…?"

"No minor is going to get intoxicated on alcohol while I'm here." Jean snaps but more fondly than anything else.

Janie raises an eyebrow. "Does that mean… minors can get lightly intoxicated within healthy guidelines providing they have a good fake id and you're not here?"

"Hypothetically if they knew how to have one cocktail responsibly and weren't a lightweight," he says finally.

"Hypothetical Janie only drinks virgin mary's and ginger beer", Real Janie says.

Real Janie turns out to be in surprising possession of self-control and ability to pick out non-alcoholic drinks. Jean is thankful for that at least when he helps a surprisingly sober Alvarez drag a wine drunk Laila away from the bar. "I thought this was a cocktail bar," he says to Janie.

"Cocktail bars don't serve ginger beer," Janie says sagely.

"And how would you know?" he asks looking at her sideways.

Janie looks as blandly neutral as always.  "I used to spy on my dad at bars".

 

A distance away, Alvarez struggles to balance out the weight of Laila's clingy limbs. She nods and makes agreeing sounds as Laila speaks earnestly about how amazing they were just now at the Gala and how she really really reallly loves them, they know that right?  Very, very, loudly. 

"I think the whole street can hear how amazing you think I was just then," she says amusedly, shifting into a more comfortable position. 

 

"Jeremy doesn't talk about you," Janie says suddenly because he's starting to pick onto the fact that she has lower alcohol tolerance than previously suggested.

"Janie-".

"Whenever someone mentions you, he looks like he was forced to stab his childhood dog".

"Am I the dog in this metaphor?" he asks a little bitterly.

"You're a Moreau", she says. "I hate dogs. But I like you". And then she falls asleep because she's the sensible kind of lightweight not the 'impromptu confessions of deep dark secrets kind'.

 

* * *

 

Janie Smalls has the misfortune, good fortune if you ask certain people, to possess an ability that seemed incapable of being anything but a disadvantage. As she subconsciously breathes in her sleep Jean fights off the urge to fall asleep himself. Disadvantage was right. It wouldn't be much good if you're sleeping caused the person who was trying to get you back home alive and unmugged to also fall asleep too.

Alvarez looks completely done with him, once he sets Janie down on a couch. "Why is there a Raven on my favourite couch?" she hisses very coherently for someone who is swaying a little. Swaying a little is right, given that she hadn't even picked up on the fact that Janie was there until she nearly tripped over their body.

"I thought you wanted this replaced," Jean replies but more quietly than her because half the people in the room are asleep. "A Raven is sleeping on it, so it's my favourite now," she says but more quietly.

"It's complicated", he says.

"You're complicated".

"Jeremy-".

Alvarez leans back in her chair and looks skywards as if asking for temperance. By the time she starts speaking her face is impassive again. "I thought we mutually agreed not to discuss traitors".

"They called in a favour. It sounded serious". He must not be saying the right things, because Alvarez looks like she wants to go back to the bar for an actual round of whatever Laila was drinking. 

Alvarez massages her temples. "Jean- I just- arghhhhhhhh. I can't deal with this right now. Talk to me when I've slept it off". And then she stumbles with great dignity out of the room, leaving Jean alone at the table.

He glanced at Janie and decided that writing her a note in case she woke up panicked would be the best course of action.

* * *

 

 

interlude 

 

"Someone else will do it if you don't." Jeremy quietly repeats it to himself as he waits for his breathing to settle. "Someone else will do it if you don't."

"Hurry up," Thea Muldani snaps at him. Sorry, he mouths apologetically at her because his throat has long dried up. "It's just a knife. You're holding it wrong", her voice doesn't soften but she does take the knife away so he doesn't cut open his foot. He doesn't know how they'd explain it to the media. 'Sorry our vice captain can't be here because of an accident that most definitely didn't involve knives and the torture with them'? They'd find a way probably. 

"Someone else will do it if you don't", Thea repeats, dragging him back to the present. "You're an okay vice-captain. I'd prefer for you to stay as one". She hands press the knife back into his hands and they stop shaking temporarily.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> google translate the title. i dare you. leave a comment on your way out if this was okay. constructive criticism is great too if you have the time!


End file.
